Scientific Method
by mojor
Summary: part 2 of the series- continues on from All or Nothing. Written last century  seriously!  I'm just choosing Romance but I think most everything I wrote back then was Adventure too. No idea what this one is about!


**2012- author's note- If you're here looking for Castle then this is not it! I have updates ready to go as soon as i've uploaded this...  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>To those of you who PMed me and asked for the rest of this series- god, luv ya! LOL! I'm not re-reading this, and i wrote it sooooooo long ago! I have no idea what it's even about but when scrolling my harddrive looking for it I found a heap of J7 fics so i'll post the lot as soon as I work out what order they go in. It's probably crap. Sorry!**

**Cheers!**

* * *

><p>This story continues a few days after where 'All or Nothing' left off.<p>

It would help to have read that first.

A great big thank you to Eileen and everyone else on the Janeway-Seven list that have offered advice on this and my other stories, especially Sues who was brave enough to pull this apart and help me rebuild it. *hugs*

The Disclaimers:-

Voyager and Star Trek aren't mine.

This story may contain some slightly naughty words, same-sex relationships and adult themes.

But i'm not promising anything...

PG13 this one i guess, but please don't hold that against me!

Scientific Method.

by MoJoR.

The universe expands, infinite particles moving outwards. Galaxies turn, moving in harmony with their neighbours. Solar systems are born and die in a heartbeat. Stars shed their light on newborn worlds as atoms burn, their lives sacrificed to creation.

A newcomer, sleek and silver, moves silently through the spaces between worlds continuing on it's long journey home. Trails of starlight illuminate the black expanse seen through the narrow window.

She stands in the muted glow, a mug of long cold coffee cradled in her hands. Seven watches her, the way her thumb caresses the mug she holds, the crease of her forehead that says she is deep in thought.

The last few days had been hectic and as they left Jarkart space they were faced with another period of inactivity. The area of space ahead of them for some twenty light years was relatively unpopulated and Seven anticipated that the Captain would schedule a series of maintenance tasks to improve Voyager's efficiency. Assuming that was the reason she had been summoned to the Captain's ready room, the former Borg had expected the Captain to be seated at her desk.

Instead, the Starfleet captain stood by her window, the star field behind her evidence that the ship was now travelling at high impulse. The auburn haired woman had not acknowledged her presence when she entered and Seven wondered if perhaps she had not heard her. In a rare display of patience, she chose to wait rather than disturb her Captain's thoughts.

"You worked well on the station, Seven," Kathryn eventually began. "I just finished reading B'Elanna's report, she commented favourably on your performance."

"I, too, found Lieutenant Torres' work to be satisfactory," the blonde ex-drone replied honestly, secretly pleased by the compliment.

Janeway smiled, "I'll pass that on." She moved away from the view port, the smile remaining as she perched on the corner of her desk.

"I'd like you to spend some time in Engineering. Lieutenant Torres has requested the opportunity to carry out some long-overdue upgrades to the warp-core."

"Understood. I will report to Engineering immediately." Assuming she had been dismissed, Seven turned to leave the room.

"Your next duty shift will be fine," Janeway spoke before she had taken more than a step towards the ready room door. "Vorik will be overseeing the maintenance on the plasma circuits during Beta shift, B'Elanna wants you on her team for the upgrades."

Seven was familiar with the upgrades Lt Torres was intending to implement and she believed it was a wise decision to involve her in the complex calculations that would be required. "That would be acceptable, Captain."

"I am not anticipating any problems, but I'd rather not have the warp-core off-line any longer than necessary." Kathryn pulled her computer console towards her and entered a few commands.

A chart of the local region of space was displayed and Seven studied the screen as she moved towards the Captain. "You have incorporated the data the Jarkart provided with our long range scans," Seven stated.

"It seems the Aligned Planets control quite an area of space."

"Nine hundred and thirty cubic light years," the former drone elaborated. "A sizable area considering their inferior technology."

Janeway looked questioningly at her crewmember, "Inferior?"

"If the Jarkart and Brennan are typical of the remainder of the Aligned races, I do not believe they would present much of a challenge to a more hostile species."

"Perhaps," Janeway allowed. She rotated the view on the screen to highlight several solar systems, "they seem to be managing."

"I find it unlikely that the Alliance has secured this area of space by superior tactics or technology." Although Seven respected the Custodians abilities and their achievements, she could not help but compare them to either her new family on Voyager or the Collective and in both cases, she found the Jarkart lacking.

"Oh?" The Captain looked directly at Seven.

The young woman felt the Captain was somehow testing her and she considered her next comment carefully, "The founding races were obviously successful in annexing the surrounding systems, however, the majority of the planets in this region are unpopulated. I find it more likely that they succeeded because the few races in the area did not possess sufficient technology to resist."

The Captain appeared to consider her comment for a moment. Motioning for Seven to join her, she stood and headed towards the raised section of her ready room. Janeway took a seat on the curved couch and waited for her crewmember to join her.

Seven hesitated an instant as she considered her options. Believing the discussion to be informal the ex-Borg chose the cushion next to her Captain. The curve of the seat allowed her to face the smaller woman as she spoke.

"You believe that the Aligned Planets took advantage of the less developed societies in order to expand?" the Captain asked when she was settled.

"You do not?"

"It's a possibility. I also think it is possible that the younger races may have chosen to join their neighbours to further their own knowledge. An organisation such as the Aligned Planets can offer stability and a sense of belonging to developing worlds."

An eyebrow rose involuntarily as Seven listened to the Starfleet officer. "You are attempting to draw a parallel between the Aligned Planets and your own United Federation of Planets," she accused.

Janeway offered her a crooked smile before replying. "It's a fair comparison. In it's earlier days, the Federation was formed to allow greater understanding between peoples. It smoothed the way for negotiations and trade, enriching the lives of its members."

"The Federation has become a power in the Alpha quadrant because of its size and level of technology, much like the Borg." Blue eyes sparkled as Seven continued the debate.

"With one very important difference," Janeway countered, leaning forward slightly to make her point, "the Federation does not impose itself upon unwilling civilizations. The distinctiveness of its member worlds are celebrated, rather than assimilated."

"The Federation requires that potential members conform to their system of beliefs. Apparently, the individuality of different species is irrelevant."

"The principles upon which Starfleet and the Federation were formed require us to acknowledge the differences between species. The great variety of customs and beliefs that form the Federation teach us tolerance and understanding. But, yes, sometimes a request for membership will be received from a race that our sociologists do not believe would make a suitable addition, for whatever reason," a small hand gestured as Janeway tried to made her point.

Enjoying the exchange, the normally aloof woman considered her next angle of attack. She watched with a ghost of a smile as the woman opposite her tucked her feet under her thighs and leant back against the soft cushions obviously anticipating a lengthy conversation.

The corridor lighting gradually increased signifying the start of alpha watch as Voyagers astrometric's officer made her way towards engineering. Upon completing her regeneration cycle, the computer informed her that the Captain had recorded a message indicating that she was available to continue their debate this evening if Seven was "up to the challenge." Seven allowed herself the luxury of replaying yesterday's discussion as the turbo-lift took her closer to her destination.

Her comments regarding the local political structure had been the start of three point two hours of discussion on Starfleet, the Federation and the nature of individuality. In the quiet of her own thoughts, Seven admitted that she had found considerable pleasure in the conversation and had been disappointed when the Captain had been called to return to the bridge.

Having accepted the Captain's challenge, Seven found herself regarding the evening with a sense of anticipation. The generally rational young woman was somewhat distracted as she entered engineering and made her way towards the duty station, eager for her day to begin.

The sound was something between a laugh and a snort and Seven looked up from her console to regard Lieutenant Torres with a look of inquiry. The half-Klingon engineer stood at the next console, her eyes focused on the data padd she held in her hand. Seven took note of the odd grimace on her face and the intense stare she was directing at the PADD and came to the conclusion that she was attempting to conceal laughter.

"Is there a problem, Lieutenant?" she questioned and B'Elanna shook her head once, refusing eye contact and very deliberately continued tapping at her padd.

Returning to her duties, Seven finished the routine diagnostic and prepared to start her calculations, ignoring the furtive glances her senior officer seemed to be casting about the room. Seven often found it frustrating working with the other woman. B'Elanna was a brilliant engineer, however, in Seven's opinion, she was overly emotional and the former Borg found it impossible to predict her moods, let alone adapt to suit their vagaries. She would have preferred to be working in astrometrics, but it had been the Captain who had requested that she assist B'Elanna with the warp core upgrades.

Since leaving the Jarkart system, they had been travelling at high impulse towards a system the Custodians had recommended for shore leave. While the majority of engineering was currently working on the warp core upgrades, a senior team had been assigned to carry out the more delicate calculations. Both herself and the Chief Engineer had naturally been assigned to that team, as well as Ensigns Hoyt and Nicoletti.

Their team members had been working across the corridor and engineering kit in hand, Hoyt marched past towards the two woman, a grinning Nicoletti in tow. Seven's superior peripheral acuity allowed her to see the furtive glance B'Elanna made over her shoulder and again in Seven's direction before returning to her padd. For some reason the smile on her face made Seven apprehensive.

"I am ready to begin calibrating the injectors, Lieutenant." he spoke as he came level with Torres.

"Go ahead, Ensign." she dismissed him with a nod.

"Thanks, Seven, for your help earlier." the young man stood smiling at the blonde woman as if waiting for something. Behind him, Seven could see both Nicoletti and Torres smirking, and she was unsure if she or Hoyt was the source of their amusement.

"You are welcome, Ensign." Seven replied in her usual crisp tone.

The man sauntered off towards the injection chamber and the two female officers broke into laughter as he rounded the corner. B'Elanna favoured Seven with a resounding smack on the shoulder.

"He has got it so bad," Nicoletti drawled between breaths.

"Men are such idiots," B'Elanna added with a snort.

Seven reviewed the past few minutes in an attempt to make sense of the comment. Ensign Hoyt had presented her with a problem he was having balancing the power input. While Seven had been surprised that an engineer of his level needed assistance, the calculations were complex and he had seemed quite appreciative when she explained the necessity of taking the ore quality into consideration before starting the equations. She could find no fault in his work following that lapse, although, were she forced to work with him on a regular basis, his lack of ability to focus on any one task would have been cause for annoyance.

"Upon what do you base that conclusion?" Seven asked, genuinely interested. While she had found the male population of Voyager to be erratic and illogical, Seven also found the same to be true of the majority of females on board.

This prompted another round of laughter from Nicoletti. "This one is all yours, Lieutenant." she smiled at B'Elanna as she began to back away. "I'm not going to be the one to explain the birds and bees to Seven." she softened the last comment with a broad smile in Seven's direction before scurrying away.

Seven remained silent, the look she directed towards the Klingon woman speaking volumes.

"Hoyt." B'Elanna said as if that one word summed it up.

Her lack of understanding must have been obvious and the former Maquis member composed herself slightly before attempting an explanation.

"Susan and I were just amused at the way in which Hoyt was attempting to find things to talk to you about."

"I belive Ensign Hoyt does not fully grasp the mechanics of warp propulsion." Seven countered.

"Do you think that if he couldn't handle warp equations in his sleep, that I'd have put him on this team?" she asked and waited while Seven considered his possibly ulterior motives for engaging her in conversation. "The man's a pig," she finished.

"I thought Ensign Hoyt was a friend of both you and Ensign Paris." Seven had occasionally seen them together in the mess hall and despite the fact the Seven knew B'Elanna regularly insulted her friends, she had detected an unusual tone to her statement.

B'Elanna shrugged her shoulders as if that were irrelevant. "Look, Seven. He was trying to chat you up. He only asked you that so he could stand next to you."

The former Borg wondered if it was Hoyt's actions or her own seeming lack of understanding that was responsible for B'Elanna's angry tone.

"For what purpose?" Seven asked, suspecting the answer already but not wanting to misunderstand his behaviour.

Seven also found it particularly gratifying that B'Elanna would take the time to explain such behaviour to her. The two women had a tentative relationship at best, their exchanges more often punctuated by raised brows and Klingon profanities than anything conversational.

"Well, he may have just wanted an excuse to talk to you, to see how you'd respond to him. Guys will do that, find excuses to be around someone they like. I think they're just waiting to catch you when you're vulnerable." she finished.

Seven wasn't sure if she was still talking about her current situation or her own. Taking a few moments to process the information, the former Borg considered the comment. She was curious as to how one would proceed in initiating a romantic relationship and this appeared to be an ideal opportunity to gather more data.

"Ensign Hoyt is attempting to discern my level of interest in a romantic relationship?"

"He knows he hasn't got a chance. Give him a week and he'll find someone else to follow around." B'Elanna almost sounded convincing.

"Could you describe to me what actions on my behalf would indicate an appropriate level of interest?" Seven asked, the warp core equations all but forgotten.

B'Elanna stared at her like she'd suddenly grown ridges on her forehead, "eerrgh... weeelll... You could smile at him or... if you touched his shoulder or made an attempt at continuing the conversation, that would be a start." B'Elanna stuttered seeming more than a little surprised by Seven's interest in the matter.

The former Borg hoped the engineer would be a little more forthcoming in her advice. The Doctor had not been much help the first time around and the tall blonde knew she would require more information before proceeding.

"I am aware that physical intimacy and communication are the primary aspects of a relationship. At what point does casual interaction become intimate?"

"I guess that's up to the individuals, Seven," B'Elanna considered the question further. "It's difficult to explain. Generally that's something that most people develop with experience. I suppose when you find yourself preferring the other person's company over anyone else's, when you feel comfortable to have them in your personal space, when the other person expresses an interest in your feelings and activities. There's a lot of different things really. Look Seven, if you're interested, maybe we should talk more about this after we finish our shift."

"Thank you, Lieutenant, but I believe the information you have provided will be adequate," Seven replied, already considering her options.

"Fine, but if you're interested just let me know, I'll get Tom to have a word with Hoyt," she finished with a grin as she turned her attention back to her console.

Eighteen hundred hours found the group gathered around the small office to one side of engineering. Beta team had encountered a series of problems with the containment matrix and B'Elanna had called a meeting of her staff.

Seven considered the setback minor. It would require an additional day to implement the required safeties before work could continue, however the Captain had informed them that they would be in orbit of Dragatti II by ten hundred hours tomorrow. The Captain intended to remain in orbit for several days, and in Seven's opinion, this allowed the team ample time to complete any additional repairs.

"Okay people, let's make this brief," Lieutenant Torres started, immediately gaining the attention of her staff. "Lieutenant Carey needs a few extra bodies in his team to speed up repairs. I know a few of you have places to be tomorrow," this started a round of chuckles amongst the group and Seven realised that a number of the engineers were indeed scheduled for the first round of shore leave.

"No-one will be going anywhere until we have the antimatter containment fields working at one hundred percent efficiency." The smiles we stifled instantly and Seven found a small grin threatening to mar her own features.

"Vorik, I want your team to hold off on the gel packs for now, I'm reassigning you to Carey's team. Mulchaey, see what you can do with the magnetic restrictors. Any questions?"

Seven was slightly puzzled by the urgency she was sensing, however she recognised that this was likely not what B'Elanna was looking for in the way of queries. After a few moments of subdued whispers, B'Elanna continued in a softer tone.

"Alright then, everyone has an hour, get yourselves some dinner, it's going to be a long night." As the engineers filed out into the corridor, Torres approached Seven and Carey, both of whom had remained behind.

"You too, Carey. You've been working for eleven hours already. Let me know what Neelix has to offer down there."

"Can do Lieutenant, thanks."

Seven watched him walk out of engineering, a slight bounce to his step despite the weariness he must have been experiencing.

"Did you want to help me make a start on those realignments?" B'Elanna asked leaning on the wall beside Seven.

"You are not in need of nourishment?" The former drone was well aware of the fact that they had both also worked constantly for the past eleven hours. While Seven's Borg enhancements allowed her to continue without rest, she doubted B'Elanna's Klingon metabolism was quite as efficient.

"I grabbed something earlier. We're almost finished with our calculations, I'd like to get them finished so we can get started implementing the changes."

The two woman had worked side by side for the greater part of the day and Seven knew without question that B'Elanna had not rested. Seven had to admit she admired her dedication to duty, despite the fact that it made her own reluctance to continue slightly distressing.

"Unless you need to regenerate?"

"I do not need to regenerate at this time." Allowing the expected reply to fall from her lips, the ex-Borg studied her own lack of interest in remaining on duty. She concluded that she had allowed her anticipation of her meeting with the Captain to interfere with her assigned tasks. A lapse that was unacceptable, and more than a little confusing.

"Okay then, let's get started."

"Have you informed the Captain that you are continuing with repairs?" Seven asked, not wanting the Captain to think her remiss for missing their appointment.

"No. Why?" Torres asked hesitantly.

Seven realised that B'Elanna had not intended to inform the Captain that her crew were working double shifts in order to complete the required maintenance.

As a former member of the Borg Collective, she was ready to dismiss the eagerness with which everyone was working to complete repairs before reaching orbit as irrational, until she considered her own emotional response at having to miss her meeting with the Captain. While it, too, was irrelevant, it was nonetheless something that she had awarded with a certain degree of anticipation, and the prospect of having to work was less than appealing.

Her human crew mates placed a greater degree of importance on recreational activities than she, and as shore leave was a rare opportunity to experience this outside the confines of Voyager, Seven had to allow that a small sacrifice on her part would be of benefit to the crew. Her expertise would speed up repairs considerably, however, she refused to allow the Captain to think her lax by failing to report as promised. Seven taped her combadge to open a channel, ignoring the scowl B'Elanna directed towards her.

"Seven of Nine to Captain Janeway."

"Janeway here," came the response over the ships internal comm channel.

"Captain, I must cancel our appointment for this evening." Seven continued, seeing the scowl on B'Elanna's face replaced by something else as she turned away from the younger woman. The Captain was silent for a moment and Seven wondered if there was a problem with the ship's communications.

"That's fine, Seven. Is anything wrong?" The note of concern clear to B'Elanna even if Seven didn't appear to acknowledge it.

"Lieutenant Torres and I are continuing with our calculations in engineering."

"Acknowledged. Keep it brief, you're scheduled for reconnaissance in the morning."

"Understood, Captain."

"Janeway out," the Captain's voice was cut off as the comm channel closed.

"I am ready to proceed." Seven prompted Lieutenant Torres who had retreated a few paces to allow Seven some privacy during her conversation. Ignoring the sideways glances, the ex-drone took her position at the central console and continued with their work.

"So, Seven, when are you scheduled for shore leave?" Ensign Hoyt's voice echoed along the maintenance tunnel in which he was working.

"I will be accompanying the initial evaluation team to the planet's surface," Seven responded, not pausing in her work. Hoyt's feet emerged from the tunnel as he shimmied out backwards. Ducking his head he moved to sit at the edge of the tunnel, arms resting on his knees, his neck angled to look up at Seven. The position looked extremely uncomfortable and Seven wondered why he didn't simply stand up.

"No, I mean for actual shore-leave. Have you made any plans?"

"I have not, I had not intended to return to the surface."

"I was planning to do a bit of hiking if we found any decent mountains," he continued and Seven recognised his speech as a prelude to acquiring a date. "Or maybe some swimming. A bunch of us thought of trying to find some caves to explore."

Seven knew he was listing recreational activities in an attempt to find those which interested her and wondered how critical it was in a relationship to find mutual areas of interest.

"Tom and B'Elanna are both down the same time as I am. I noticed that your name was on the list too, you should join us," his voice wavered slightly betraying his nervousness.

Seven turned to face him, noticing the colour in his cheeks. Recognising this as an opportunity to continue with her studies regarding initiating a relationship she considered his suggestion. Seven was unsure if the Captain had scheduled herself for leave and she was reluctant to make herself unavailable should the Captain wish to seek her company. She could, however, agree to spend a single day on the surface during one of the Captains' duty shifts.

"That would be acceptable," Seven finally replied.

"Really?" Hoyt stood suddenly, looking rather suprised.

"Yes. I look forward to joining you on shore leave, Ensign," Seven replied, hoping she had incorporated the required level of interest in her tone.

"Well... that's great, Seven. I, ahhh... I look forward to it." Hoyt stood for a moment nodding his head. "I'll just continue with the repairs," he gestured towards the tunnel before climbing back in after Seven returned her attention to her own tasks.

The repairs were progressing as expected and Seven suspected Lieutenant Torres would call for the warp engines to be bought on-line shortly. At their present speed, Voyager would reach orbit in less than three hours and Seven knew she would require at least an hour of regeneration in order to perform her duties in the away team effectively.

"I think it's time for a break, Lieutenant." The crisp tones of the Captain's voice suprised Seven who had not heard her enter engineering. From the look of Lieutenant Torres' face, neither had the half-Klingon.

"We're almost finished here, Captain," B'Elanna countered, standing a little straighter, possibly in an attempt to look more alert.

Seven herself turned to meet the Captain's scrutiny. The imposing woman stood with her hand on her hips as she spoke to her officer.

"I appreciate your eagerness to complete the modifications, Lieutenant. I do not appreciate the fact that you have staff here who have worked for twenty four hours without a break."

Seven felt a moment's compassion for B'Elanna. She herself had been on the receiving end of the look the Captain was directing at her Chief Engineer, on more than one occasion, and Seven was glad that this time it was not her that had managed to disappoint the Captain.

"I apologise, Captain," B'Elanna replied.

Janeway turned her gaze towards Seven, "Seven, you are due for away team duty in three hours. Were you planning to report to duty already exhausted?" she sounded exasperated.

"No, Captain. I had allocated an hour during which I would regenerate before reporting for duty," Seven replied abruptly. The stubborn part of her mind supplying that fact that she had merely been following orders, something that the Captain herself had repeatedly requested of her.

The Captain maintained her disapproving glare for several moments before returning her attention back to her Chief Engineer. "How are the repairs coming?"

"Lieutenant Carey is bringing the primary containment field back online now. I don't expect any problems."

"Fine. Get some rest. I don't want a report from you for another eight hours. Understood?"

"Yes, Captain." Torres moved away after the Captain dismissed her, no doubt in search of Carey to speed things up. Seven moved to follow her, only to find a restraining hand on her arm.

"Report to Cargo Bay 2," the Captain ordered. Seven nodded her acceptance and turned towards the exit. Janeway followed her officer towards the doors and continued alongside her as they entered the turbo-lift.

"We have the data in from the planet," Janeway stated as the lift started upwards.

"Your analysis?" Seven queried, resenting the fact that she had not been in astrometics to study the data herself.

"Looks promising. A little warmer than I'd have chosen, but otherwise ideal. If the evaluation goes well, I might consider taking a team down to have a look at some of the local vegetation, hopefully we can restock our pantry while we're here."

"I will accompany you." Seven stated aware that with the possible exception of Neelix, few others would choose to spend their shore leave looking for alternative food sources.

"I was hoping you might. Tuvok and Neelix have offered to join the team."

"Then you will no doubt be thankful for my company." Knowing that Tuvok was even less inclined towards conversation than she, and Neelix's propensity for idle chatter had the tendency to annoy the Captain, Seven attempted a joke. She was relieved when the Captain gave a short laugh and favoured her with a gentle smile.

The lift doors opened on deck 8 and Seven stepped out into the corridor which led to the improvised Borg alcove that served as her quarters on Voyager.

"I'll see you for the briefing at ten hundred hours," Janeway called.

Seven turned to watch as the lift doors slid shut, catching only the beginnings of a smile.

With the obvious exception of the Chief Engineer, the senior officers sat around the briefing table, preparing to outline their plans. The group was unusually boisterous, the data PADDS meant for their attention lying forgotten on the breifing room table as they dicussed their plans for leave.

Seven had scanned the reports on the planet immediately upon waking and now waited for the go ahead to beam to the surface. Both the meeting and the initial reconnaissance of the planet were formalities that Seven agreed were prudent, even if not entirely necessary.

Her fellow crewmates had obviously studied the data their sensors had gathered and Seven found herself influenced by the excitement in the room. As the Captain and the Jarkart before her had indicated, the planet was devoid of sentient life and while lacking in useful ore or minerals, it was perfect for their current requirements.

On their original course, the planet would have been just outside Voyagers long-range scans and Seven knew the Captain had been extremely appreciative when Custodian Aranni had given them charts of this area of space.

The conversation in the room halted, bringing Seven out of her musings. Lifting her eyes, Seven watched the Captain take her seat at the head of the table.

"Is everything ready, Tuvok?" she asked after exchanging greetings with those in the room.

"It is, Captain. A site on the largest continent has been chosen as a beam-down point," Tuvok stated.

"Harry?" Janeway indicated for Ensign Kim to fill the group in on his findings.

"As expected, the planet is class M, with both temperature and gravity slightly higher than that on Earth, comparable to that on Vulcan. There isn't really anything worth mentioning, seismic activity is minimal, there are no indications of past civilizations. It's pretty quiet really," he concluded with a shrug.

"Very well then. If it checks out on closer inspection, I'd like to begin shore leave this afternoon."

"I think the first schedule is already packed!" Commander Chakotay remarked with a wry grin and, although his tone was light, Seven knew he was correct.

"Already? I only posted assignments at the beginning of the shift!" Janeway remarked, enjoying the fact that she was able to provide her crew with some much needed recreation.

"Good news travels fast!" Tom quipped.

"Well, let's hope we don't disappoint," the Captain remarked seriously. "Harry, Seven, you're with Commander Tuvok. Good luck."

The away team materialized in an open field overlooking a sizable valley. Sparsely forested areas dotted the rolling hills towards the sun. A rocky slope bathed in shadow descended to the valley below.

Ensigns Lang and McKenzie from security stood at either end of the party, phasers drawn. Ensign Jurot from botanics stood quietly beside Seven, her head cocked to one side as she focused her Betazoid abilities on the new environment.

As Commander Tuvok reported to Voyager that the team had arrived safely, Seven opened her tricorder and scanned the surrounding area. Radiation, atmospheric elements, environmental conditions, all within normal parameters. There were no sizable life signs in the vicinity and the plant life appeared equally innocuous.

"Proceed with caution, Commander." the Captain urged, her voice a little muted over the comm channel.

Closing her tricorder, Seven studied the landscape, attempting to determine the attraction others felt towards such an environment. The view failed to produce any emotional response within her at all. She found the sun uncomfortably bright from the surface, it displayed none of the fascinating qualities that the same star possessed when viewed from space. The ground was predominately green and brown, the sky a pale blue. A dull contrast when compared to the myriad variations of colour and the movement of gas and radiation that brightened the darkness of space.

Directing her attention back towards the away team, Seven nodded at Tuvok, silently informing him that she had detected nothing out of the ordinary.

"Spread out. Keep your comm channels open. I will expect you to report back to this site in twenty minutes."

Seven and Ensign Lang moved off towards a series of low hills, each intent on their duties. Seven continued to scan the area for anomalies while Lang concentrated on lifesigns and signs of habitation. Seven had worked with the smaller woman only once before and had found her to be competent in her chosen field of expertise. While neither woman initiated any form of conversation, Seven decided the silence was not uncomfortable and Lang seemed to be at ease in her presence.

Re-calibrating her tricorder to analyse the area's vegetation, Seven changed direction slightly, heading towards an area that registered what she suspected to be a form of fruit.

Lang glanced at the tricorder Seven held to determine the reason for her change of course. Veering slightly to maintain an acceptable distance between them, Lang continued ahead while Seven detoured to examine the series of shrubs. Small white berries covered several small bushes and Seven gathered a handful, securing them in a compartment designed for just that purpose.

Ahead of her, Ensign Lang stood studying a copse of trees and as Seven approached her, she turned and motioned for Seven to move slowly. Looking beyond the small woman, Seven saw the object of her attention. A small furry animal moved along a low branch eyeing then cautiously. Seven thought it looked like something that Naomi Wildman had once chased through Flotter's forest on the holodeck.

After a moment, the animal tired of watching them and jumped to a higher branch. Lang turned and shrugged her acceptance of the animal's disappearance.

"Cute critter," she remarked. Having no opinion either way, Seven nodded her agreement. "Did you get a sample of the vegetation?"

"I did. I suggest we continue if we wish to have something of interest to report to the Captain." Seven advised.

They continued for several minutes, the gently sloping ground making for easy travel, before deciding to return to the beam out coordinates. Apart from several small mammals and a single fruit bearing tree, the pair found little of interest. Lang seemed immeasurably cheered by that fact and the single report from each of the other teams indicated they, too, had encountered no difficulties.

Seven found she had little desire to return to the planet. She was, however, glad that it was suitable for shore leave for the remainder of the crew. She was not sure when she had started thinking of Voyager as her home, but recent events had served to enforce that belief and Seven found she preferred the hum of the warp engines to the constant call of insects and the occasional avian species.

As the transport site came into view, both woman increased their pace, both eager to return, for two entirely different reasons.

Following the debriefing, the Captain made a ship-wide announcement confirming shore leave. They would remain in orbit for a week, allowing each group three nights on the planet's surface. An overlapping roster had been drawn up to allow the maximum time on the planet for each group without leaving Voyager under-staffed.

Leave was restricted to a twenty square kilometre area which encompassed a variety of ecologies sufficient for most recreational pursuits. Security staff were assigned with each party to secure the area before they too were allowed to break off into whatever groups they chose.

At the Captain's orders, Seven returned to her alcove to regenerate for a few hours, after which she intended to report to engineering. As she stepped into the familiar storage bay she let her posture relax slightly.

Seven regretted having agreed to join Ensign Hoyt for shore leave. Having already spent sufficient time on the planet to satisfy her curiosity, she decided she would rather challenge the Captain to a game of velocity or perhaps continue her studies on the charts they had acquired from the Jarkart.

Since having been severed from the Collective, Seven had discovered that she did indeed have individual preferences. She found she preferred certain activities over others, she preferred certain topics of conversation and had acquired a preference for whom she chose to have those conversations with. Seven had even discovered, to her own astonishment, that there were areas of the ship in which she felt more comfortable.

As she headed towards her alcove, the former Borg considered her progress since joining this collective. Adapting to Voyager had been difficult, but as Seven reflected how she had changed over the past year alone, the former drone realised that she had come closer to understanding her own humanity than she had initially thought possible.

Since spending a month alone on Voyager, with only the Doctor for company, Seven had become more sensitive to certain emotions. Her own emotions seemed erratic at times and Seven wondered at the fact that more often than not, those fluctuations seemed somehow related to her interactions with the Captain. She had more recently recognised that the Captain seemed to share her feelings of isolation from the crew and that she frequently sought Seven's company over that of her other crewmembers. She had noticed on several occasions that the Captain shared a side of herself with Seven that she let very few others see. As Seven did with her in return.

Janeway had once made it clear, that as the Captain, she could not always be Seven's friend, that her position on the ship made it essential that she remain apart from those under her command. Seven did not believe that the Captain's performance as Voyager's leader would be negatively affected by a romantic relationship and she was determined to pursue the matter. Discreetly.

Evaluating the older woman's behaviour over the past several months, Seven decided that despite her statement to the contrary, there was a sixty five percent chance that the Captain shared her emotions. The blonde ex-drone was forced to admit that the Captain was likely to deny those feelings and if that were to happen, she was unsure how to proceed. She did not want to risk misinterpreting her interest. The prospect of approaching the Captain only to find she had no interest in her beyond that of captain and crew member was terrifying. Yet, the thought of never telling the auburn haired woman how she felt when she stood beside her, made her heart constrict.

Stepping up onto the platform of her alcove, she decided she would accompany Ensign Hoyt's party to the surface. It was necessary for her to observe the mechanics of courtship if she hoped to be successful. She would study his behaviour and that of Lieutenant Torres and Ensign Paris for one day before returning to the ship to spend the remainder of her time pursuing the Captain. After all, resistance was futile.

Engineering was strangely quiet as Seven entered the long corridor. The warp core stood impassively, the blue haze of matter and antimatter moving almost imperceptibly. Crewman Anders moved purposely from one console to another, monitoring essential systems.

As expected, Seven found Lieutenant Torres seated in her small office, a breakdown of yesterday's hurriedly completed maintenance tasks displayed on the console in front of her.

"Good afternoon, Lieutenant," Seven began, considering the greeting the most appropriate way to break the silence. B'Elanna looked up from her work, her expression one of surprise.

"Hi, Seven. I wasn't expecting you to report for duty today." Only essential stations were required to be manned, with even those crew-members not currently allocated shore leave allowed additional personal time.

"I anticipated that you may require assistance in completing the maintenance tasks you had scheduled."

B'Elanna thought for a moment before answering. "Nothing urgent. But if you're looking for something to do, Vorik never did get around to inspecting the neural gel packs."

"I will start with the gel packs in the central computer core," Seven agreed and collected a diagnostic kit from the storage compartment behind B'Elanna.

"Tom tells me you're joining Hoyt for shore leave," B'Elanna started and Seven paused to speak.

"That is correct."

"Well, that's great. Gerran's not a bad guy once you get to know him."

"Gerran?" Seven queried, realising that she was referring to Ensign Hoyt.

"Yeah. Gerran Hoyt. You didn't know his first name?"

"No, I did not. I did not think it was relevant."

B'Elanna laughed and shook her head. "Don't let him hear you say that. It's a good idea to find out a person's first name before you start dating them, Seven."

"Ensign Hoyt and I are not dating. I have simply agreed to join his party for shore leave as scheduled." Seven countered thinking once again that perhaps she had been wrong to accept his offer.

"Fair enough." B'Elanna raised her hands in defeat, "Just make sure you don't enjoy yourself." she continued with a smirk.

Seven left the office and headed towards the computer core on deck six, unnerved by the exchange. She wished she were able to discuss the situation with the Captain or the Doctor. She had found that the Captain's suggestions in other situations involving her interaction with the crew to be extremely sensible but, in this case, asking the Captain's opinion would be inappropriate and for some reason, Seven found she was hesitant to mention her dilemma to the Doctor.

Resolving to continue with her plan, Seven lengthened her strides. Interpreting her hesitation as a form of fear, and the former drone refused to give into, what she perceived to be, a weakness. She was due to report for shore leave tomorrow at oh seven hundred hours and she had 1062 gel packs to inspect before then.

At precisely seven hundred hours Seven entered transporter room one. There were already several groups of colourfully dressed people waiting to beam down to the surface, and conversation was animated. From their attire, the tall blonde decided that they had indeed found a location suitable for both swimming and hiking as Ensign Hoyt had hoped.

Stepping hesitantly into the crowded room, Seven moved towards Ensign Paris' voice which she could clearly hear above the noise. The pilot was engaged in conversation with the Delaney sisters and Seven noticed that Lieutenant Torres seemed somewhat annoyed. Accustomed to her erratic mood changes, Seven approached her without hesitation.

"Lieutenant, Ensigns," she greeted the group and was suprised when they stopped talking to answer her with a round of "Sevens" and "Good Mornings".

"Have you got any gear with you?" B'Elanna enquired and Seven noticed that they each had a small pack at their feet or strapped to their back.

"For what purpose?"

"A change of clothes or some food. I packed some diving equipment, Tom's got a fishing rod," B'Elanna explained.

"I do not require food or fresh clothing and I have no experience with outdoor recreational activities," Seven admitted and once again she regretted her promise. Her confusion must have been apparent for B'Elanna took a step closer.

"Hey, don't worry about it. You can use our stuff if there's something you'd like to try. You'll need somewhere to sleep though."

"I will be returning to Voyager to regenerate," the ex-drone replied, relieved to have a legitimate reason to end her shore leave early.

"You're not staying the three days?" Ensign Hoyt asked, moving up from behind the group to join the women.

"I must report back to duty tomorrow. I have been assigned to assist the Captain in harvesting local produce for supplies." Although the Captain had not planned to beam down to the planet until the fourth day of orbit, Seven planned to spend tomorrow analysing sensor scans.

"That's too bad, I was hoping we could spend a few days together," Hoyt continued.

Seven searched her memory for an appropriate response.

"It is... unfortunate," she agreed finally.

Over the noise, Crewman Boylan called for the next team to take their place on the transport pad and B'Elanna indicated for Seven to move up. Tom and the Delaney sisters broke their conversation long enough to move onto the pad and the six officers waited for transport. Harry had drawn shore leave a day later and planned to join the group tomorrow.

Tom had chosen an area beside a large lake at the base of a small range of hills. As they materialized, Seven scanned the area around them carefully. The area was obviously popular, three other groups could be seen making camp at various points around the lake.

As her companions dropped their luggage under a tree and headed towards the lake, Seven followed behind at a loss as to what to do. The concept of leisure time was alien to Seven, she preferred her recreational activities to have a set list of requirements or goals. The games of velocity and kadis-kot had defined parameters for play and a clear goal. Shore leave lacked both of these qualities.

Slowing his pace to match Seven's, Ensign Hoyt attempted to engage her in conversation. Remembering the reason she had agreed to join him for shore leave, Seven made the effort to respond to each of his queries.

The group spent the morning setting up their campsite. Had they focused their attentions on the assignment, Seven thought it would have been possible to have completed that task in under an hour. As it was, it took them closer to three hours. The group spent considerable time exploring the lake's surroundings, her crewmates regularly venturing into the cool water. Seven found, that on occasion, she enjoyed the company the group provided. During lunch Tom and B'Elanna entertained them with a series of stories from their last shore leave and Seven was slightly envious of their casual banter, if not the dynamics of their relationship.

After lunch, the group separated. Tom wanted to try his luck fishing in a small pool he had found on one side of the lake and the three woman decided to join the group from security that were camped a short distance away and currently playing a ball game that involved a great deal of swimming.

Uninterested in either activity, Seven decided to remain at the edge of the water where she could watch. Ensign Hoyt offered to keep her company and Seven tried to continue his attempts to engage her in conversation. After several fruitless endeavors, the inexperienced woman decided her original plan to learn more about the protocols involved in human dating rituals was ill-conceived.

After another extended period of silence, Seven decided to return to Voyager.

"Ensign Hoyt," she began and noticing the seriousness of her tone, Gerran turned to face her. "Do you find that you are enjoying my company?" she enquired, the way in which he avoided her gaze convinced her to continue.

"I, too, find your company to be lacking." Seven admitted honestly and Gerran grinned at her, finally relaxing.

"You're bored too, hey?" he asked with a smile.

"I believe I will be returning to Voyager."

"Thanks for coming down, Seven. I really am glad we had the chance to spend some time together." Believing him to be sincere, Seven nodded her agreement.

"Please inform Lieutenant Torres that I have returned to the ship."

"I will. I'll see you back on board." Hoyt stood as Seven did, his arms swinging slightly at his side.

"Enjoy your shore leave, Ensign." Moving away a few paces, Seven called to Voyager for transport as Ensign Hoyt moved to join Tom in a spot of fishing.

Upon returning to Voyager, Seven headed directly to astrometrics. It had been four days since she had completed a full shift in her own department and she welcomed the opportunity to familiarise herself with the duty logs. As the doors slid open, Seven was suprised to find the Captain working at her console.

"Captain! May I be of assistance?" she enquired.

"Hello Seven, I thought you were on leave," the Captain commented as she turned to look at her officer.

"I was." Seven replied simply. Janeway allowed the comment to pass.

"I just came down to have a better look at the star charts Aranni provided us with."

"I have not yet had the opportunity to study them fully. Would you mind if I join you, Captain?" Seven asked, beginning to relax now that she was once again in her element.

"I'd welcome your input, if you didn't have anything else planned."

Seven stepped up beside the Captain, accessing the workstation to display the maps on the large viewscreen and the two woman proceeded to compare opinions and theories on the best course towards home.

As the evening progressed, Seven considered requesting the Captain's presence for dinner. Having finally decided to pose the question, the Captain spoke before Seven had the opportunity to start.

"Commander Chakotay tells me you're seeing Ensign Hoyt." The smaller woman continued to study the navigational data as she spoke.

"That is incorrect, Captain," Seven replied, turning to face her.

"Oh?"

"I have no interest in the Ensign."

"B'Elanna seemed to think that the two of you were spending some time together," the Captain continued. Seven wondered at the increase in colour along her throat and cheeks.

"I did not discourage his attentions in order to observe his behaviour."

Kathryn turned suddenly, her expression clouded. "You're observing his behaviour? For what purpose?"

"I required more information on human courtship rituals." Seven stumbled over her words, confused by the anger in the older woman's voice.

"So you misled Ensign Hoyt, allowed him to believe you enjoyed his company?" Closing the distance between them, Janeway crossed her arms across her chest.

"No, Captain. I informed him that I found his company lacking."

"You told him that?"

"Yes, he really is quite dull."

The Captain regarded the former Borg for a moment, her expression softening.

"Seven, this kind of behaviour is completely unacceptable. I realise that you are new to this aspect of human behaviour, but I can't believe you would be so inconsiderate of another's emotions."

The accusation struck a nerve with Seven and she dropped her gaze. It had not occurred to her that the young man would be hurt by her actions.

"How would you feel if someone you cared for pretended to be your friend, only to discover you meant no more to them than a subject in one if their experiments?"

Seven considered this, imagining how she would feel if the Captain were to tell her that she did not value her companionship and was shocked by the tightening in her chest and throat. Her understanding must have shown in her face, as Kathryn relaxed her stance and placed a hand on her arm.

"Seven, you have to recognise how your actions may be interpreted by others."

"When you do not?" Seven asked and despite the lack of accusation in her tone, Kathryn reacted instantly.

"What do you mean?" she asked sharply and having started, Seven found she could not back away from the conversation.

"You regularly intrude upon my personal space, you initiate physical contact and watch me when you think I am unable to see you. You request that I spend my off-duty time with you, and express an interest in my well-being. How do you think I interpret your actions?"

Kathryn stood dumbfounded, too angry and too embarrassed to speak. Her gaze was fixed on Seven's and the younger woman found she was unable to break eye contact, despite the way in which the coldness of that stare seemed to freeze her insides. After several long moments the Captain spoke.

"I think perhaps we should continue this conversation another time," her voice was low and something in her tone seemed dangerous to Seven. Her insides seemed to have been turned upside down and she felt an uncomfortable pressure behind her eyes. Wanting desperately to hide herself away from this woman's disappointment, she was glad of the chance to escape. The afternoon had not turned out quite the way she had expected.

Were she able to think more clearly on the subject, Seven may have noticed that the Captain had seemed to take her actions personally. Had she more experience with human emotions, she may have recognised the jealousy and hurt in her Captain's voice. As it was, Seven returned to the cargo bay, confused and alone.

the end.

July-August 1999.

to be continued in Slowly. So Slowly.

If you're enjoying the story so far, let me know. It might encourage me to write faster!


End file.
